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History of Art and Architecture: Special Topics - The Orthodox Icon in Modern Art and Architecture
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:13:59
Abstract
The course focuses on Orthodox icons, mainly from the Eastern European tradition. At a time when the question of “national identity” is once again coming to the fore in European societies, the course showcases how tradition can be reflected in art and architecture in a progressive way, i.e., through a modern lens rather than historicisms, and through inclusivity rather than nationalist narratives.
Objective
In the course, held during seminar week, we will examine icons both as physical objects and through other media in order to understand their aesthetic-theological and sociocultural principles. We will then compare this material with modern art and architecture from the East Slavic region and attempt to find commonalities. The first aim is to familiarize participants with the unique concept of the icon and its development over the centuries. The second aim is to highlight that the icon had a significant influence on modern secular art and architecture in 20th century Eastern Europe, despite its status as an ancient religious object. The two objectives highlight one more occasion of the strong creative ties between the East Slavic nations and help to counteract the typical narratives of national purity that have taken hold in the region and beyond. The course will take a multi-media approach. We will study icons and artworks/designs firsthand, watch excerpts from movies/documentaries and engage with a close reading of ancient and modern texts coming from theologians, philosophers, art theorists and artists. The workshop will include lecturing sections, but remains highly interactive: the engagement with an artifact, a video/image, or text is accompanied by a discussion in which students are expected to actively participate by sharing their observations and opinions. The classroom sessions will be complemented by a visit to a Museum of Icons and an Orthodox church to familiarize us with icons both physically and immersively. The texts and discussions will be in English. In addition to performance during the course, the assessment (pass/fail) is based on a physical or digital deliverable. You are expected to draw a building/painting in which you attempt to reflect a sense of identity derived from your personal cultural background, and to briefly explain your inspiration, approach, and execution. You may use hand-drawings/sketches, collages, software, AI, mixed media, etc. The submission will be due a few weeks after the course ends.
Content
Although they are now considered an integral part of the Orthodox Christian faith, icons were not fully incorporated into Eastern Christianity until the 8th century, when the Second Council of Nicaea consolidated their position, relying on the writings of Church Fathers such as Basil the Great and John of Damascus. In the centuries that followed, the theological understanding of the icon’s aesthetics remained largely untouched, which did not mean, however, that icons did not evolve stylistically with the emergence of various schools of icon painting. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that this understanding was added another layer by a series of scholars from the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. The intensive exploration of the icon at that particular time and space was not a coincidence. As part of the broader European process of nation building that had begun in the previous century, icons in the East Slavic region were elevated to cultural assets that served as inspiration for new forms of “national” expression. In this sense, icons attracted the interest not only of theologians and philosophers, but also of art theorists, artists and architects, including the Russians Wassily Kandinsky, Mikhail Larionov and Natal’ya Goncharova, Ivan Leonidov, the Ukrainians Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin, Mikhailo Boychuk or the Belarusian Marc Chagall. The course will follow the timeline described above. It will introduce the Council of Nicaea, along how the principles consolidated there endured despite the different forms of expression that icons developed in the Middle Ages. It will then jump to the 20th century and discuss how the modern aesthetic-theological and sociocultural (i.e., secular instead of religious) interpretations of the icon inspired different expressions of art and architecture, that were still common in their reflection of an East Slavic identity.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Semesterly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
History of Art and Architecture: Special Topics - The Orthodox Icon in Modern Art and Architecture
Block course, 3-4 days (during seminar week)
|
|
40 h semesterly |